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Getting rid of blood stains?

(30 Posts)
Anne58 Mon 22-Jul-13 15:26:15

Afternoon all,

Despite rubbing with a Vanish bar before putting into the washing machine, there are still blood stains on an Egyptian cotton sheet and duvet cover sad

I've googled but I think they might be there for good now.

Any advice?

Ana Mon 22-Jul-13 15:29:41

Bleach is probably the only answer - but only if they're white!

Anne58 Mon 22-Jul-13 15:36:17

They're not Ana they are a pale green, rather like the stripes where it says the page and "add your message here"

Charleygirl Mon 22-Jul-13 15:40:01

I would have soaked them in cold water for at least a couple of hours before tackling the stain with the Vanish bar. Have you got anything that you can put in the washing machine with the soap powder eg liquid Vanish or whatever you use? I would give them another wash and then hang them outside as the sun will remove some of the stain. Were they squashed in the washing machine? It may help if they are washed separately to give them more room to agitate.

Ana Mon 22-Jul-13 15:40:05

Ah....then I'm afraid I don't know. Stain Devils, perhaps?
The trouble is, once bloodstains have been 'washed-in' they're extremely hard to get out.

Anne58 Mon 22-Jul-13 15:45:41

Oh bugger, they were practically new as well!

They are on the line now, can't get to any shop other than the village one as I have no car.

vegasmags Mon 22-Jul-13 15:48:56

You could try overnight soaking in cold water with lots of salt - or even better make a paste with salt and a bit of cold water, apply directly to the stains and leave for an hour or two before soaking. best of luck!

kittylester Mon 22-Jul-13 15:49:03

Soak them in the bath with lots of biological powder or vanish. sad

Sook Mon 22-Jul-13 15:51:53

Same as vegas soak overnight in cold salt water best if the stain is fresh though.

Such a shame I love Egyptian cotton bedding.

Anne58 Mon 22-Jul-13 15:59:00

It isn't fresh now though, and they are almost dry. Damn eczema! I must have scratched in my sleep blush

Notso Mon 22-Jul-13 16:40:20

Have you tried any of the laundry stain sprays out there? They seem to work better than the bars.

Anne58 Mon 22-Jul-13 16:42:43

I think that's what I will have to do, Notso will have a look next time I'm in a bigger shop and just hope it's not too late, however I do think that I might have already "set" the stain.

Oh well, it's not the end of the world.

Sook Mon 22-Jul-13 16:45:54

phoenix in her youth my nan worked in a laundry, so everything white in our house was boiled to death in a huge aluminium pan. Underwear especially had to be whiter than white in case we got run over by a bus and had to go to hospital grin. Nobody cared that the elastic in my knickers perished. I had some every embarrassing moments blush and once had to remove my drooping drawers discreetly whilst waiting for a Liverpool Ferry.

When the pan wasn't used for boiling knickers it boiled ham shanks grin

I am sure someone on GN will come up with a miracle.

betsysgran Mon 22-Jul-13 16:45:57

Have you tried Shout or Lakeland do a stain stick remover which I use? You might have to do it a couple of times but I generally find it works. The other thing to try is Bio-Tex. Isn't it always something new it happens to!

Ella46 Mon 22-Jul-13 16:46:47

phoenix As a last resort, you could always dye them.

Butty Mon 22-Jul-13 16:49:30

I've never known Vanish not to get rid of blood. Pour on liquid Vanish and leave for a morning or overnight.

Anne58 Mon 22-Jul-13 16:52:20

Thanks all, I will try a combination, perhaps liquid Vanish with Bio Tex added!

Ella I really don't want to dye them if I can avoid it as they go so well with the curtains and bedside lampshades.

Bags Mon 22-Jul-13 17:17:46

A cold water and salt soak takes blood stains out but that's if you do it before washing and before they have dried in too much. My mum taught me that when my periods started. It worked.

JessM Mon 22-Jul-13 17:20:40

You need something with enzymes. Vanish oxyaction mainly works as a peroxide bleaching agent. Says it contains enzymes but I would go with something more obviously "bio" in action.
When MIL had a bleed on her beige carpet everyone bought a cleaning product. She had about 10 variations on the theme of Vanish under the sink in the end.
I later spoke to a carpet cleaner and he said - cold water, salt, if you like and then call the carpet cleaner man before putting other chemicals on (if we were talking carpets... )

Riverwalk Mon 22-Jul-13 17:30:30

The longest and hottest cycle - no faffing around!

Stansgran Mon 22-Jul-13 17:54:52

Lakeland do something called white wonder or wonder white and it has just performed a miracle on a new carpet. DH 's thin skin often bleeds onto pillow cases.. I use a precious bottle of flash gel with bleach on whites and on coloured s where I prefer bleached out rather than bloodstained.

Nelliemoser Mon 22-Jul-13 18:13:12

I would really suggest a biological cleaner, it enzymes out the blood. I think salt and water only works when its still fresh.

www.wikihow.com/Remove-Dried-Blood-Stains-from-Fabric

Ana Mon 22-Jul-13 18:18:42

Hottest will only set the stain more in my experience, Riverwalk!

JessM Mon 22-Jul-13 18:19:19

Now-uh riverwalk - enzymes are biological molecules and they do not work on a hot wash - it "kills" them. They work best near to body heat. Enzyme products "digest" the long protein molecules in the blood - they snip the molecules apart so that you can wash them out.

Grannyeggs Mon 22-Jul-13 18:33:57

Salt rubbed on then rubbed hard with warm, but not hot water. But I have. Feeling that if they have already been washed it might be harder to get them out.hmm